Product, Service & Design Innovation
The latest products, services, design approaches and business models that are helping organizations of all sizes deliver on their sustainability ambitions and establish a new business as usual.
Will We Get Closer to Circularity in 2020?
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. While the concept of a circular economy has made its way into the public consciousness; unfortunately, as of 2018, circularity globally is only at 9%. In order for circularity to deliver on its potential in this decade, we’ll need to see more of the following …
Don’t You (Forget About P)
Cross-Posted from Finance & Investment. Every product (P) has an impact on the consumer and society. Yet it appears that what all ESG ratings fail to do is evaluate the impact on the positive and negative externalities of a company’s P. While ESG looks at operational aspects of a business, P is the part that ESG seemingly forgot.
#ItsInOurHands: How Cleansing Wipes Can Be Both Convenient and Sustainable
Cross-Posted from Chemistry, Materials & Packaging. Fact: Most personal-care wipes contain plastic and therefore can become a burden on the environment. Lenzing‘s biodegradable VEOCEL™ fibers offer an alternative solution. We talked to Jürgen Eizinger, VP of Global Business Management, Nonwovens at Lenzing, about the future of wet wipes.
Sell Responsibly… or Else? It’s Time to Face (Over)-Consumption and Come Up with Creative Solutions
Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. We shouldn’t lure people into buying more than they need; but rather, help people make it all add up to a more meaningful life. Brands might be able to keep afloat on a short-term strategy and hide behind a cloak of innocence, but every dinosaur step is one closer to extinction.
Tech for a Better World: A Look at Standout Products from CES 2020
Health. Accessibility. Food. Smart everything. CES 2020 showed that technology should not only be about greater speed or convenience in our lives — it should positively impact people and the world.
Regenerative Agriculture: Not Just for Beef Anymore
Beef is naturally at the forefront of the conversation around regenerative ag because of the direct and dramatic improvement properly managed ruminants can have on soil quality. But that doesn’t mean that other foods shouldn’t be held to the same standards.
Why I Invested in a 'Smart Gun' Company
While money and special interests are unlikely to leave US politics, I’m optimistic that Biofire can change the conversation around guns: Why can’t a for-profit company build safer handguns?
Climate Action Through Biomimicry: Innovation for the SDGs
The tagline for this year’s Biomimicry Global Design Challenge, “Design° for People + Planet,” asks participants to look at what degree of change they will make for a particular SDG, using nature as their mentor.
Collaboration: A Catalyst for Cutting-Edge Change
It takes a village of visionaries and specialists to galvanize innovative ideas and bring them to fruition. In a recent webinar, Shaw examined a case study in organizations coming together to take a “people-centric approach to sustainability.”
Give More, and Better, This Season: The 2019 SB Holiday Gift Guide
Cross-Posted from Waste Not. What better way to celebrate and participate in the season of giving than with gifts that truly keep on giving? Here are just a few of our favorite discoveries this year of products we'd be thrilled to give and receive.
Trending: The Latest and Greatest Ways to Imbibe More Sustainably
Cross-Posted from Waste Not. Or, how to expand your conscious consumerism to include anti-waste cocktails, carbon-negative nightcaps and a hard kombucha that’s easy on the environment.
Biomimicry Institute Seeks Nature-Inspired Innovations for $100K Ray of Hope Prize®
The Ray of Hope Prize competition gives startups a chance to get their biomimetic innovations to market; entrepreneurs with nature-inspired design solutions for climate mitigation, carbon sequestration or the SDGs have until December 31 to apply.
25 Years On: Lessons Learned from Interface’s Ongoing Sustainability Journey
Why are lessons learned by a flooring company relevant? Many of the challenges we had to solve are the same that companies are struggling with as they pursue sustainability. Our accomplishments are significant because they show it is possible to transform a business and put sustainability at the core.
Sanitary Products, Soft Drinks and Safety Locks: An FMCG Approach to Fighting Period Poverty in Tanzania
'Period poverty' — in which women and girls struggle to access and afford menstrual products — is particularly bad in sub-Saharan Africa. That’s why a new initiative in Tanzania is taking a 21st-century, FMCG approach to a centuries-old problem.
The Biosphere Rules: Sustainability Is a Destination, Not a Journey
Envision a future where every material thing in our world is made out of a handful of materials, carefully selected to be safe, healthy and infinitely recyclable. Everything from coffee cup to countertop could be broken down and used as raw materials for a new shawl or lampshade.
New Retail Platforms Aim to Take Waste Out of Online Clothes Shopping
Cross-Posted from Waste Not. As we enter the season of giving — and the season of returns — two new, next-gen online retailers aim to address the rampant clothing waste inherent in e-commerce; and reward users for donating their used, unwanted clothing.
The Biosphere’s Guide to Foolproofing Sustainability, Part 6: Function Over Form
Sustainability experts for decades have been exhorting managers to focus more on the function their products deliver and less on the product itself. Biosphere Rule #5, Function Over Form, is focused on fulfilling customers’ functional needs in ways that sustain the value cycle.
Report: We Must Move Beyond Plant-Based Products to Ensure Sustainable Food Future
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. New analysis from Forum for the Future explores the public commitments of 132 leading food companies and outlines a five-point plan to get businesses on track towards a more sustainable global food system.
Life Cycle Analysis: Revealing the Unexpected Truth About Product Impacts
Cross-Posted from New Metrics. Typically, the stages in a product’s life cycle that have the greatest environmental effects also are the ones that present the best opportunity for sustainable innovation. If sustainability is part of the innovation process, then LCA should be conducted to ensure the avoidance of unintended consequences.
SB Oceans Showcases Solutions Aimed at Restoring Our Aquatic Abundance
AI, a conscientious credit card, social plastic and underwater forests are just a few of the solutions showcased at SB Oceans that can help us restore their abundance.
